Dog who played Duke in famous Bush's Baked Beans commercials has died

One of the dogs who played Duke in the commercials for Bush's Baked Beans has died.

Sam, a canine who played the snarky role of the talking dog Duke, died on June 27 in Apopka, Florida, according to a Facebook post by a friend of Sam's owner, Susan.

David Odom wrote that Sam had to be euthanized because of an aggressive cancer.

"She is as we are heartbroken,'' he captioned a photo of Sam with the American flag. "Here is a photo from his better days. He was a very special dog to all who ever knew or had the pleasure of meeting him. He is and will be missed."

"While Sam has not worked with us in years, we are saddened by the news of his passing and are grateful to have had him depict Duke,'' the company wrote. "Because Duke is iconic to BUSH’S and so adored by our fans, we will continue to use him in our ads."

Sam, as Duke, would make snarky comments to brand ambassador Jay Bush, while always coming close to accidentally revealing the secret recipe for the baked beans.